2015 BMW i3 with REx [Archive] - BMW E46 330 ZHP For Sale Forum

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Imola.ZHP

05-08-2015, 08:31 AM

New ride, new project thread.

Should be easier to keep up and complete, I owned the ZHP so long I only got through 2006 on her project thread/story. She's gone but never forgotten. I wish I had been able to take pics of them together. Oh well, she went to a great home!

Back Story

Before the i3 was released I was intrigued by the car, crazy styling, carbon fibre reinforced plastic body on aluminum frame, electric, wow. I've always been a fan of hatchbacks and wagons both of which are rare for BMW in the US, this car seemed pretty sweet.

My better half and I both signed up for the i3 drive event, this was a pack of i3's that were touring the country from dealer to dealer pre-release for persons interested to sign up and take one for a test drive. We loved the regenerative breaking after just a short time in the car, loved the now non-US spec sunroof also. The car seemed very ahead of its time.

That fall, 2014, I was contacted by BMW about taking one home for an "extended test drive" unfortunately I signed up for it while house sitting for my better half's mom as they were both in Florida visiting family. The extended test drive car was a super base model solar orange but did have REx which I needed as far out as I was staying. I found myself very frustrated with the experience. It was taking forever to charge, range anxiety even with the REx was really real, I went out to a free public level 2 charging station and it still took forever just to recoup what I had blown to get out there. I had a lot of complaints about the car and experience in general, officially no sunroof option in the US, charged too slowly, I could go on and on.

So I decided against it for the time being and put the car out of my head for a few months. But it slowly started to creep back in; then I slowly but surely started educating myself more on the car. From the factory the car is set to charge as slow as friggin possible on both level 1 and level 2 chargers. I learned that with some coding you could unlock the REx and expand the useable fuel tank to 2.4 gal (from 1.9) to almost completely stomp out range anxiety. Most of my complaints and issues were either resolved or I learned how I could deal with them, well, except for not getting the kick-ass sunroof in the US!

So April, 2015 rolls around and out of the blue, I don't even remember where I saw it, I found that someone had gotten a crazy deal on a left-over 2014 i3. I'm trying to remember what brought me back to actually looking at them again, I'm not sure what happened but when I realized how cheap I could be driving one I decided it was time to let Molly go. This all happened very quickly, so quickly I am still in shock that it happened actually. I owned my ZHP for nearly 9 years and thought we might just go on until death, but when I realized I could afford the i3 I jumped ship very quick.

So I consulted friends and family and determined just the right i3 for me, every option, my first color choice was Laurel Grey, second was Capparis White. I searched and searched and searched, my local dealer only had a silver rex base model, no thanks, the closest I could find a car that would work for me was Atlanta. So I joined an Atlanta i3 FB group and started doing more research, one dealer had two Laurel Grey's and a Capparis, another had a Capparis White, all loaded up the same. Once Molly was gone for sure I first tried to get my local dealer to get me one of these 4 cars from Atlanta. This proved feeble, they were not interested in doing anything of the sorts. In the mean time one of the 4 cars got sold, the Capparis White at the dealer I ended up buying from. So I tried to buy one of the Laurel Grey's from the other dealer in Atlanta and had a very very bad experience. The sales person, an older male, was very old-school and he was jacking with the lease terms too much and the payment was higher than expected. So the other dealer that had the now sold Capparis White i3 had a large presence on the ATL BMW i3 FB group as well as the more general BMW i3 FB group. They were actually trying to get me to get in contact with them initially, before I messed with my local dealer or the other dealer in ATL. I wish I had reached out to them first, they were AWESOME!

United BMW Roswell in Atlanta, GA. My sales person and his sales manager were amazing. They were straight forward and upfront on the pricing of the car, no games, no funny business. Unfortunately they did not have a 2014 for me anymore though. I might have been able to have them find me one through their dealer connections as they are a part of a larger chain of dealerships, another guy in Nashville ended up doing this and getting a 2014, but it wasn't loaded up like I wanted. My sales person had a 2015 that was still on the boat that he ended up selling me, every option, first color choice, straight forward on the pricing (below invoice before tax incentive). Somehow the payment ended up being $100 less on a 2015 as opposed to the 2014 from the competing dealer, that guy was jacking the figures around that much. I might have been able to squeeze them a bit more, but I didn't have a car and my patience was already worn out between my local dealer and the first dealer in ATL. I thought they were straight forward and upfront about everything and I just said YES PLEASE!

I had to wait about a week for the car to come in, they offered to just ship me the car for about $600 but I really wanted to go get it. Driving an electric car long distance can be a challenge so I prepared by buying a coding cable and installing Virtual Box on my Mac as well as Windoze 8.1 and the software that I needed to code the car after purchase. I could have flown over to ATL from MEM but a direct flight was about $600, with one stop, $250. I happened to be off in the middle of the week that week, but my future mother in law was again in Florida visiting her mom and my better half and I were dog/cat/fish/house sitting for her along with our two pups. So us driving over in our CRV to pick it up was out of the question. So I ended up on a MegaBus for $22.75, took my first Uber ride from our house to the buss stop, left MEM at midnight Wednesday night on the MegaBus Memphis time and arrived in ATL at 9am Atlanta time. Took their subway/train system as far north as I could, then took a city bus to the dealership. Arrived at about 10:30. Yup, pretty much public transportation all the way to pick up my MSRP $55,850 vehicle, haha, I'm so cheap! At that point I had spent about $30 including food.

I got out of the dealership around 12:30 Atlanta time and headed to a charging location I had pre-determined I would go to to code the car. It was recommended that the coding take place while plugged in. I had strategically picked this place because I estimated I would be near, at or below 75% battery left which is where you can tell the car to "Hold State of Charge" which kicks the REx on. What do you know, that place was unavailable, just my luck. So another place was another 15 or so miles down the road, I headed that way. It was a Walgreens and the station required some sort of card to start charging the car, I went into Walgreens to attempt to buy this card or set one up and they said that although it was in their parking lot, they had nothing to do with it. Awesome sauce, I was about 45 miles into my 425'ish mile journey and had already used 52% of the battery.

So I pulled the car over into the shade, rolled down the windows and decided to attempt coding the car without being plugged in. I wasn't even sure that my coding setup was going to work, I hadn't been able to test it out on a car prior to the trip. It was a bit of a nervous moment. It should be noted, however, that without coding, the car would have drained down to 6% and the REx would have kicked in. So long as the REx could keep up then I could have just driven the car home that way. But it was hot and I was on the highway, not the best conditions for REx to keep up. Coding went fine with minimal hiccups and minimal learning curve. It took about an hour because I had to pop back and forth and was very cautious about everything I did. I plan to do more coding as there are some other features and preferences I would like to change but I have yet to have time.

The remainder of the trip went pretty well, the unlocked REx and additional fuel capacity gave me about 75 miles of range between fill-ups. There were a few places that I could have stopped in to charge but I really just wanted to get home. I didn't get much sleep on the MegaBus and I was a bit too excited to sleep the night prior to that. So every hour I pulled in and filled up and walked around a bit to help keep my alertness. I ran at least 65 all the way home with the AC on and in those remaining 380 miles or so the battery dropped from 48% to 22% over the course of the trip, the REx wasn't able to hold the state of charge with those conditions.

Picked her up with 7 miles on the clock, got home that evening with 425'ish. Absolutely no other hiccups, just lots of stares and I did burn up some of that charge when a 1st gen Caddy CTS-V wanted to play near Talledega, go figure, the i3 held its own pretty well all things considered!

In the end it cost me just over $70 in food, fuel and transportation to go get the car. Basically I saved enough money to pay for a level 2 home charger, still searching for a good deal on one though.

Here are some pics from the trip.

https://scontent-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10421555_10204114966622045_1339084090573847638_n.j pg?oh=a75194f383060bc36f07fe5bdf5e4c62&oe=55C659AA

First pic was from behind the wheel, I needed to get on the road! 9 miles on the clock.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/11209693_10204114966542043_1900440579391982403_n.j pg?oh=bb735b241d5b41560621d26b22092d4c&oe=560C2B4C&__gda__=1439733043_cc77ef01b74f0824a931457d6f40272 3

No can do.

https://scontent-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/11209653_10204114969502117_4114090593866024496_n.j pg?oh=91c0d3e75df7b638fc3ad7f953f9959c&oe=55C8C0AA

First 100 miles, found out the nave can do satellite images, not that helpful though, just a bunch of green.

https://scontent-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/11205143_10204114969582119_8887309164333411608_n.j pg?oh=8c9edc5f9ffbd674a8650f1b8ac7b10a&oe=55D65C16

Highway view of Talledega, that might not be spelled right.

https://scontent-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtf1/v/t1.0-9/11099417_10204114976982304_4776864850965350420_n.j pg?oh=dffcd41fd238f65e0703e1082734a5e4&oe=55DC2F72

Bugged up but home, well, at the future mother in-law's, safely!

https://scontent-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/11205973_10204114977582319_6510709683931460402_n.j pg?oh=773286dd250466b8838da31b26915097&oe=55DAF0F5

Ready for his or her first day of commuting duty.

https://scontent-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtf1/v/t1.0-9/11173310_10204114978982354_120138708661877098_n.jp g?oh=3084e32af4a7cf9aeb5054becc9690cb&oe=55C71479

Feeble attempt to wash off the bugs.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xft1/v/t1.0-9/11128372_10204114983982479_203874827003889853_n.jp g?oh=fd4307ad99af67a4348310b7b957f2a2&oe=55D46DE4&__gda__=1439719557_fc9ba7fa1af5fb267749407d99c8617 b

Shined up!

https://scontent-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/11205097_10204114984582494_3268200863957978025_n.j pg?oh=93e23b9b078ea00edc03643c7b4a84fb&oe=55DB59C0

Had too much fun!

https://scontent-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/11196316_10204114985382514_3563232981547864586_n.j pg?oh=6101eca62a35dbe03739ba1238fd7560&oe=55D3DCB3

Not Imola, not a ZHP, but hello red e46.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/1517425_10204114953421715_1574183526816431269_n.jp g?oh=74e1653aa0a8e280ea386d511b612962&oe=55DF7437&__gda__=1440174012_e68be10d275155035caf704d521a0b6 6

https://scontent-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/1610925_10204114986422540_8180625992501978082_n.jp g?oh=468d342ae6391124f6e0d15d24250abb&oe=55D4D430

My best estimated range so far, 180 miles total!

Imola.ZHP

05-08-2015, 08:37 AM

Forgot to add, the car needs a name! I grew up being told all cars are female, this is a new generation, could go male, female or asexual. Part of me wants to do something nerdy like Electra, or Sparky. It is a REx so "Rex" would work, but that seems a bit too easy, the better half thinks Sparky is too close to Spark which is made by Chevrolet and they do offer an electric version in 2 states.

johnrando

05-08-2015, 08:50 AM

Good stuff, congrats. How about Ivy. Get it, I - vy? :) Also rhymes with I3

BMWCurves

05-08-2015, 09:39 AM

Good stuff, congrats. How about Ivy. Get it, I - vy? :) Also rhymes with I3

Not bad, I like it.

Marcus, that car looks awesome! My buddy's dad got an REx i3 earlier this year. It's a great car to scoot around town in for sure and definitely a different driving experience.

danewilson77

05-08-2015, 06:35 PM

Love it.

Pip

05-08-2015, 09:49 PM

How does it drive?

Imola.ZHP

05-09-2015, 02:46 AM

Good stuff, congrats. How about Ivy. Get it, I - vy? :) Also rhymes with I3

Thanks! I'll try that name on for a day or two and see how it fits.

Marcus, that car looks awesome! My buddy's dad got an REx i3 earlier this year. It's a great car to scoot around town in for sure and definitely a different driving experience.

Thanks! I've been having some more fun with coding. It's too bad all of this cool stuff can't be turned off or on through the nav screen. If he needs the extra 0.5 gal of fuel or the ability to turn on the REx at will (as long as he is under or at 75%) he might look into doing a little coding.

Love it.

Thanks Dane!

How does it drive?

Hard to describe, it doesn't drive the way you think a vehicle of this type should; perhaps that is due to the near 50/50 weight balance and RWD. Tire pressures are a big deal on this car and typically the dealer does not have them correct, so at first she was a bit twitchy on the interstate until I lowered the front tire pressures. I read an article that stated the car handles so well because the tires are engineered to have a bigger front to back contact patch to make up for the lost width contact patch. I believe it, I think it would be a hoot at auto-cross, a non-REx (aka a BEV battery electric vehicle), would be even better at auto-x as I believe it does have perfect 50/50 weight balance, or closer to it than the REx's are. The steering is very direct, it has to be electric, but if this is what everyone is complaining about then I don't understand the problem, you move the wheel, the front wheels turn as you indicate and plenty of feedback is given. Perhaps it "feels" like I get more feedback because there is no sounds or vibrations going on (no combustion motor or transmission to compete with), so you hear everything going on on the road which might seem like more steering feedback. Whatever it is, its working, the more I drive it, the more I like it. I do plan to try it out at Auto-X sometime hopefully sooner than later. The ZHP was auto-x'd while still on her paper-tag, I feel like the tradition needs to be upheld with the i3.

az3579

05-09-2015, 05:49 AM

derbo

05-09-2015, 01:23 PM

BMWCurves

05-09-2015, 01:44 PM

These cars are REALLY stable. It's insane how well they hold during cornering. I've driven one and very surprised especially with those tiny little thin ice skating blades they call tires.

The CG is actaully comparable.

i3: 18.5"
3-series sedan: 20.0"
4-series coupe: 19.6"

Other cars:

Toyota FT-86 / Subaru BRZ / Scion FR-S: 18.1"
Tesla S: 17.5"
Lexus LFA: 17.7"
Porsche 911 GT3: 17.9"

Interesting. I guess having those heavy batteries nestled at the height of the axles really helps keep the center of gravity pretty low.

Rovert

05-09-2015, 01:56 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO5z32L32aY

:eyetwitch

rguti153

05-09-2015, 02:25 PM

Wtf awesome

BMWCurves

05-09-2015, 02:27 PM

Haha beauty of having 100% of your torque at 0 RPM.

derbo

05-09-2015, 04:00 PM

Fastest 0-30 baby

Sent from my Moto X

Whammy

05-09-2015, 04:26 PM

Congrats on the purchase those I can't say I envy you. I drove an ex-coworker's Tesla Model S. While fast and nible, the gearhead in me hated it. Nothing to do, no transmission, and no noise.

Imola.ZHP

05-09-2015, 09:33 PM

I don't think I'd want to auto-x something with a higher center of gravity and paper thin tires, to be honest...
Do you think you could handle hard cornering without flipping it? I haven't got a clue how stable they feel since I've never driven one.

The tires will definitely be a problem if you're a fast driver. Is there even a class for the i3 yet?

As mentioned by others, COG is actually quite low in this vehicle, yes, the tires are not wide, but they make up for the loss in contact patch width-wise by making a larger front-to-back contact patch. If you care about reading about it, check out this article on the tire technology for the i3, http://www.cnet.com/news/tire-tech-the-bmw-i3s-bridgestone-ecopia-ep500s/. If BMW didn't want the car to be driven aggressively or used in auto-x, then they most likely wouldn't have had i3 dealer training events that included auto-x action.

https://youtu.be/qYbYJOD5PHg

https://youtu.be/npNZzCK8fKc

Quite a few BMW staff have videos like these from before/during launch of the car. I haven't yet seen any owners use the car at auto-x although I have seen it be discussed. Not sure if the car is classed yet or not, that would be something I would need to find out.

These cars are REALLY stable. It's insane how well they hold during cornering. I've driven one and very surprised especially with those tiny little thin ice skating blades they call tires.

The CG is actaully comparable.

i3: 18.5"
3-series sedan: 20.0"
4-series coupe: 19.6"

Other cars:

Toyota FT-86 / Subaru BRZ / Scion FR-S: 18.1"
Tesla S: 17.5"
Lexus LFA: 17.7"
Porsche 911 GT3: 17.9"

Awesome information, thanks. Yes, the car is carbon fibre reinforced plastic body with all plastic body panels on an aluminum frame. The battery pack is mounted between the frame rales and axles lending for a decently low COG.

Interesting. I guess having those heavy batteries nestled at the height of the axles really helps keep the center of gravity pretty low.

Yup!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO5z32L32aY

:eyetwitch

I had to send that video to so many friends when I told them I was buying an i3, afterwards they understood.

Wtf awesome

Agreed, although we don't know how much the M3 (purposely or not) spun the tires.

Haha beauty of having 100% of your torque at 0 RPM.

Yes, it will definitely jump off the line!

Fastest 0-30 baby

Sent from my Moto X

Haha, yeah, my commute is 2.2 non-bike friendly miles so I don't need much more speed than that.

Congrats on the purchase those I can't say I envy you. I drove an ex-coworker's Tesla Model S. While fast and nible, the gearhead in me hated it. Nothing to do, no transmission, and no noise.

I hope no one envy's me, different strokes for different folks! I do miss my clutch and have often hunted for it as well as the manual shift lever since purchase. The car just keeps growing on me though, I can't describe it. I kind of like the quiet ride actually.

----

Did a bunch of more coding this morning, so much that I need to review my list to see what all I did, lol. I did get a chance to check out the flashing brake force display tonight after I got to work. LOVE IT! I've always had this reflex when in an emergency braking situation to hit the hazards button to get the vehicle behind me's attention. It will be a hard habit to break, but now the car will do it for me.

JB3

05-10-2015, 03:39 AM

New ride, new project thread.
...
Yup, pretty much public transportation all the way to pick up my MSRP $55,850 vehicle, haha, I'm so cheap! At that point I had spent about $30 including food.

The remainder of the trip went pretty well, the unlocked REx and additional fuel capacity gave me about 75 miles of range between fill-ups.

D: @msrp. Owned your ZHP for 9 years??????? Wow man I have a feeling you might regret getting rid of something that you loved enough to own for 9 years. The car is so cool though! and 75 miles? I can see why you have range anxiety. Damn!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO5z32L32aY

:eyetwitch

lolwut!

Fastest 0-30 baby

Sent from my Moto X

put "GET SOME" on the license plate.
Stoplight Drag Race everyone to 30.
Double tap brake lights and hit hazards, slow down.
Give them the "sup son?" ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ at the next light.
???
Profit!

As mentioned by others, COG is actually quite low in this vehicle, yes, the tires are not wide, but they make up for the loss in contact patch width-wise by making a larger front-to-back contact patch. If you care about reading about it, check out this article on the tire technology for the i3, http://www.cnet.com/news/tire-tech-the-bmw-i3s-bridgestone-ecopia-ep500s/. If BMW didn't want the car to be driven aggressively or used in auto-x, then they most likely wouldn't have had i3 dealer training events that included auto-x action.

I'd have two concerns. 1. Getting home, I'm sure AX would smoke the range. (I guess you could just carry a gas can, right?) 2. Sidewall roll causing tarmac damage to the wheels.

Any cheap track wheel fitments out there for it?

Imola.ZHP

05-10-2015, 03:54 AM

I guess I didn't discuss plans for the car. Keep in mind that the first two years of ownership are technically a lease, leasing was the best option for me for many reasons including the tax incentive situation. With that in mind, mods will be relatively limited for the first 24 months of ownership. Lets be clear, I currently fully intend to buy the car at the end of the lease, but a lot can happen in 24 months so I don't want to over-step any boundaries with the car until it is financed in my name.

First 24 months of ownership:
#1 TINT! - Going to get quotes this week! Will probably do ceramic to help keep as much heat out of the car as possible, the more the AC runs the more juice it takes from the battery pack. So ceramic tint really seems like a logical choice for this vehicle. I will be looking at doing the legal limit (I don't like to attract cop attention) in Tennessee, 35%. I loved the additional 35% tint I had on my ZHP's windshield. LOVED IT. This windshield is so big though I'm not sure if its such a good idea, again the cop attention situation. I'll see what else they have to offer and then make the best decision.

#2 Wheel Arch Reflectors and Mirror Mounted Side Marker Smoke Vinyl Overlay's - I bought a couple of rolls of smoked vinyl for the ZHP, I only ever ended up getting the clear in the R/C/R taillights done and it was such a chore to get them to look right that I never attempted the side markers or the front corners. With the i3, however, the wheel arch reflectors look to be flat so this should be a quick and easy mod (knocks on wood). Yes, they do sell the body-colored replacements for $110 per pair (or at least they do for the front that has no light in it, the rear arch reflectors have a running light in them), but this smoke vinyl I have is already paid for and I think it will look good on the car for now. Perhaps I'll go for the painted replacement set for the front of the car once the price of them starts to come down. In addition to the reflectors I'm going to attempt to smoke overlay the mirror mounted side markers on the car. This will be challenging because although they look flat in pictures, and they mostly are, they wrap around the side of the mirror and there are some hard edges or corners to contend with. For all of these I plan to attempt to remove each piece from the car so that I can attempt to wrap/shrink the vinyl around the edges for a cleaner look. I hope to start on this this week.

#3 LED High-Beam Bulbs, LED Front Signal Bulbs - For whatever reason the lights in the lower part of the bumper are the high-beams, not fog lamps, I don't know, maybe bi-LED headlamps don't yet exist? I wonder if we'll see this at face-lift and the return of fog-lamps to the car where the current high-beams are. Anyhow, the high-beam bulbs are just regular halogen which look very odd on the car given that the low beams are LED as well as nearly every other bulb on the car except for the front signal bulbs which are also located in that same area on the bumper (as the high beams). These have to go. I will probably wait for the cost of the High Beam bulbs to come down, LED's seem to be becoming more and more mainstream and their prices are coming down, but I'd still like to get them even cheaper. As for the turn signal bulbs, there is a pair on Amazon.com that a few i3 owners have purchased and had good luck with so far, I'll probably order those this week.

Reminder of ownership:

#1 most important mod after the remainder of the car is financed - SPRINGS! - Right now there is basically only one option, Cobra Suspension 1" drop. Perhaps there will be more options by the time I am ready to pull the trigger on this but if not, this setup looks really nice. Here is a FB friends Solar Orange with the drop.

https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/11209359_10204123203907972_4313656297516701440_n.j pg?oh=c3b2287801a1f89e3a0ea747a4d997b9&oe=55D813FB

You can easily compare this to my car in my sig pic, the fender gap is drastically reduced. For whatever reason i3's in Japan are lower than i3's in the rest of the world. Supposedly it is an m-perormance suspension kit but it is not available outside of Japan, yet. This might be another option in a few years. I just spent way too much time looking for a particular picture I had seen in the past showing the lower ride height. I had no luck, but it does exist. I'll add it if I ever come across it again.

#2 (Crossing Fingers) some VMR wheels. I would love some v710's, but if they make any of their designs skinny enough for the i3 I will probably take a set. I keep asking them to look into it on their IG account. I hope my work pays off at some point! If I were good at photoshop I could do a photo, but I'm not, so I can't.

#3 I hope at some point, either as a facelift or as a well-fitting aftermarket option, that the lower rear bumper can be swapped out for something closer to the original MegaCity concept car.

http://www.d-talks.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/BMW-i3-concept-Frankfurt-2011.jpg

For whatever reason the i8 got a rear bumper nearly identical to its concept, but the i3 got this other design (only way to put it nicely) that almost looks like the car is trying to excrete an early 2000's model Honda Accord from its rear end.

#4 Somewhat inline with the rear bumper change I really like the recent trend of the carbon fibre body kit trim, along the front bumper, down the side-sills and across the back. I hope someone makes some cool stuff for the i3, there is a company out of Japan that has made a lower front bumper piece like this as well as a different upper rear spoiler but their prices are a bit pricy right now. I'm sure this is because the car is new.

http://www.motorward.com/wp-content/images/2014/11/3D-Design-BMW-i3-0.jpg

3D Design front lip spoiler, its ok, but I hope some other options come about.

JB3

05-10-2015, 04:16 AM

derbo

05-10-2015, 11:47 AM

3D Design makes some nice lips but they are pretty expensive.

I would definitely wait for better options for the suspension. The car is still a niche product and it has limited aftermarket options until people start deciding to modify them. Perhaps call suspension companies and see if they are willing to prototype stuff with your car and you could get a massive discount on the car?

:)

Either way, enjoy it! I wish my commute was short enough to use one of these badboys.

Imola.ZHP

05-10-2015, 12:11 PM

Ah ok, that all makes sense. Hopefully they have some aggressive value when purchasing at the end of a lease.

35% on the front? Cray talk! lol. I'm old and my eyes aren't as sharp as they were, but it would be great for oncoming lights for sure. I had Air 80 on the front, and TBH, the only difference I noticed in heat was in the first 10 minutes. After that, the car felt as hot as no windshield tint, so I don't think I'll spend that money again myself.

Good plans for mods for a lease vehicle, and good plan on waiting 2 years to go further. Just don't be like me, and kick yourself for selling your ZHP 2 years from now. :)

I also chose to lease as opposed to purchase because I'm hoping BMWFS is way off on their residuals for these early cars. With the Bolt and the Model III coming to market with claims of up to 200 miles battery range I sure hope the i3's resale/residual is much less than they expect. My residual is estimated at $35k , if cars like it are only selling for $20k then I can attempt to buy the car at a lesser price than what they estimated it would be worth. $20k is my goal, it's aggressive, it might be a bit unreasonable but between the below invoice price on the car, the tax incentive and hopefully another $15k off at the end of the lease, I hope to have paid about $32k for a $55,850 MSRP vehicle. We'll see what happens, Tesla is slow at delivering cars and rumors are that Chevy is having trouble getting that 200 mile range they said the Bolt would have. It's a gamble!

I LOVED the 35% on the ZHP windshield. It did make for some dark traveling at night, but that car wasn't driven too much or too far at night. Did you have ceramic on the car your taking about? It's supposed to be better at reflecting heat, but I haven't had a vehicle with it yet. In all actuality, like the ZHP, this car will only be outside about 4 days per repeating 4-week schedule. 52 days per year, maybe half of those will be warm. But I want the high reflectivity for traveling between covered parking spots too, hopefully work the AC as little as possible.

I will always miss my ZHP. I miss all of my cars I've had and let go, I can't help it.

3D Design makes some nice lips but they are pretty expensive.

I would definitely wait for better options for the suspension. The car is still a niche product and it has limited aftermarket options until people start deciding to modify them. Perhaps call suspension companies and see if they are willing to prototype stuff with your car and you could get a massive discount on the car?

:)

Either way, enjoy it! I wish my commute was short enough to use one of these badboys.

Yup, waiting for aftermarket goodies is one of the caviats to buying something low production volume. I wish I lived near an aftermarket company so I could offer the car as a tester, but I don't. Rumors are that Eibach is working on a set of springs for the car. I'm going to have to get back into the grove of making car payments so not having a lot of modding options yet is probably best for my credit card anyway, haha.

derbo

05-10-2015, 12:15 PM

On regards of the tint,

3m Crystalline is the best in reflecting heat. It is scary good and come in 70% tint options. It is expensive though but it does it's job very well if you don't want the darkness and great heat reflection.

hcbeck2689

05-10-2015, 12:26 PM

I LOVED the 35% on the ZHP windshield.

That sounds pretty awesome, but wayyyy too dark at night. I have 70% and kinda regret not going 55%. 35 does look really good though[emoji6]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

derbo

05-10-2015, 12:31 PM

That sounds pretty awesome, but wayyyy too dark at night. I have 70% and kinda regret not going 55%. 35 does look really good though[emoji6]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

we aren't even allowed anything in the front or side front windows :(

hcbeck2689

05-10-2015, 01:17 PM

we aren't even allowed anything in the front or side front windows :(

I don't think it is technically legal to tint the windshield anywhere, by but could be wrong. I went with legal on the doors and back glass. I did 70 on windshield because it is not that noticeable.

Sucks you can't tint your windows. A lot of times you can get a prescription for it though. I know that in NC an eye doctor can write me a prescription and I can get a sticker from dmv to put on my window that permits darker tint. I have a few friends that got this after they had lasik.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

derbo

05-10-2015, 01:19 PM

I don't think it is technically legal to tint the windshield anywhere, by but could be wrong. I went with legal on the doors and back glass. I did 70 on windshield because it is not that noticeable.

Sucks you can't tint your windows. A lot of times you can get a prescription for it though. I know that in NC an eye doctor can write me a prescription and I can get a sticker from dmv to put on my window that permits darker tint. I have a few friends that got this after they had lasik.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yea the front windshield is usually pretty illegal. lol

California Law:

Windshield Non-reflective tint is allowed on the top 4 inches of the windshield.
Front Side Windows Must allow more than 70% of light in.
Back Side Windows Any darkness can be used.
Rear Window Any darkness can be used.

http://tintlaws.com/california-window-tint-law.php

:shh I have either 35% or 20% all around.

JB3

05-10-2015, 03:13 PM

Llumar air 80 is definitely legal in NC, but I think it is the limit of what is allowed because it is effectively clear. And it is ceramic.

I did it solely for heat reduction and after 10 minutes in the sun I couldn't tell the difference.

If it were $55 on top of a $200 job I'd probably consider it, but it's $125 on top of a $250 job. And since it's the front, I've never seen it discounted on a groupon.

Imola.ZHP

05-10-2015, 09:51 PM

D: @msrp. Owned your ZHP for 9 years??????? Wow man I have a feeling you might regret getting rid of something that you loved enough to own for 9 years. The car is so cool though! and 75 miles? I can see why you have range anxiety. Damn!

put "GET SOME" on the license plate.
Stoplight Drag Race everyone to 30.
Double tap brake lights and hit hazards, slow down.
Give them the "sup son?" ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ at the next light.
???
Profit!

I'd have two concerns. 1. Getting home, I'm sure AX would smoke the range. (I guess you could just carry a gas can, right?) 2. Sidewall roll causing tarmac damage to the wheels.

Any cheap track wheel fitments out there for it?

Somehow I missed this post JB3.

Yeah, I almost made it 9 years with the ZHP, bought her CPO'd with 32,500 on the clock, sold her 8 years 10 months and 28 days later, she rolled 130,000 the morning I sold her. I'll always miss the car, I miss all of my old vehicles, thats the longest time I've owned something though for sure, I haven't even ever owned a house that long, haha.

The 75 miles in range mentioned in what you quoted is the additional range provided by the REx, the battery pack has between 80 and 100 miles in it to begin with, the REx will recharge the battery for an additional 75'ish miles. I've seen anywhere between 60 and 100 estimated additional REx miles. The car really does have to guess how far it can go; it bases most of its guessing on the past 18 miles driven, so if you drive like a granny you'll see the high end of the spectrum, if you drive it like its stolen, you'll see the lower end.

Some stop light drag racing sounds like fun, if only people did that anywhere near where I live maybe I could make part of the payment with it, lol.

Yes, some people do carry a fuel can in the un-sealed "frunk" (front trunk). I considered buying one for the trip back from ATL, but I had already determined that there were plenty of fuel stations between the two cities and I didn't mind getting out once per hour to stretch and walk around as I had had very little sleep the previous few days (was too excited!!). That would be an option for Auto-X too, bring it with, leave it somewhere while playing, then fill up before leaving. As for the tires, yes, they do have a tendency to have more damage to them because they run a little more "flatter" than a typical tire to gain that missing contact patch back. That said, I would probably bump up the pressures just a bit, this would lessen the contact patch a little but would most likely keep the tires from being damaged. I would certainly want to look at the course first, back in the day I would always walk it beforehand, I guess a lot of people do that, but I would especially be paying attention to any rough pavement area's for this car. Might have to take it a little easy in any areas that might look sketchy, this would certainly affect run-times but I really want to try out Auto-X to get better familiar with handling emergency situations in the car. The ZHP was the closest thing to a sports car I had owned and I was much younger then, I wasn't very comfortable with having the traction control off in the car until after I put her through some precarious situations at Auto-X. I hope to learn similar things about the i3 by doing this. There are only a handful of aftermarket wheels out for it, actually, probably less than a handful. But again, I'd like to learn how the car will react to certain situations in a semi-controlled environment on the wheels and tires I daily drive on. Hopefully they won't get too torn up. I haven't located a distributor for replacements yet, but I've read they they only run about $175/tire. Thats a stark contrast to what the 19" Pilot Super Sports I had on the ZHP cost. So, that said, if I do tear one, or two up, I'll just chock it up to part of the learning experience.

On regards of the tint,

3m Crystalline is the best in reflecting heat. It is scary good and come in 70% tint options. It is expensive though but it does it's job very well if you don't want the darkness and great heat reflection.

Thanks! My preferred tint shop uses 3M tints, I had 3M on the ZHP (not ceramic though), held up very well.

That sounds pretty awesome, but wayyyy too dark at night. I have 70% and kinda regret not going 55%. 35 does look really good though[emoji6]

It was a bit dark at night but over the course of two years or so that I had it done, I rarely encountered a situation where it seemed un-safe. I would prefer 55'ish% myself, hopefully they can accommodate that in ceramic.

we aren't even allowed anything in the front or side front windows :(

Time to move, plus front plates? NExT!

I don't think it is technically legal to tint the windshield anywhere, by but could be wrong. I went with legal on the doors and back glass. I did 70 on windshield because it is not that noticeable.

Sucks you can't tint your windows. A lot of times you can get a prescription for it though. I know that in NC an eye doctor can write me a prescription and I can get a sticker from dmv to put on my window that permits darker tint. I have a few friends that got this after they had lasik.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Illegal here too, you can get a pass though for medical reasons (probably in other states too). It is very vague and I went through the trouble of getting a letter from my optometrist for the ZHP but I never completed the process of sending the letter to the state and getting a sticker (that I would have never put on the car) that is supposed to indicate to police that the windshield is permitted to be tinted. Typically I just shy'd away from areas of town that are known to have more active police enforcement. Or if going through them I would open the sunroof shade or open the roof to allow more light into the car. I can't do this on the i3 though because the US didn't get the awesome sunroof that is available nearly everywhere else.

Yea the front windshield is usually pretty illegal. lol

California Law:

http://tintlaws.com/california-window-tint-law.php

:shh I have either 35% or 20% all around.

Your secrets are safe with us here on the WWW, haha.

Llumar air 80 is definitely legal in NC, but I think it is the limit of what is allowed because it is effectively clear. And it is ceramic.

I did it solely for heat reduction and after 10 minutes in the sun I couldn't tell the difference.

If it were $55 on top of a $200 job I'd probably consider it, but it's $125 on top of a $250 job. And since it's the front, I've never seen it discounted on a groupon.

Excellent points, yes, price will be of concern and thanks for reminding me about groupon. A few years back I helped my sis get her windows tinted on her now totaled Jetta (RIP Baby J) at my preferred tint shop through Groupon. I will be looking into that after submitting this reply :thumbsup

Imola.ZHP

05-10-2015, 10:30 PM

No Groupons on tint currently in my area except for one place that comes to you to do the job? Sounds shady, Memphis is a little, well, you just have to be careful. Anyhow, a local e46 M3 owner I somewhat know posted on a local FB group a couple of head-rests for his M3 that he had dressed up with some color stitching. Apparently its DIY and looks amazing, he used a method found on an Acura NSX forum http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php/145770-DIY-Interior-Color-Stitching. Looks very nice. I saw all of this yesterday and then today I spent some time in the i3 and realized there is quite a bit of stitching it the car that just kind of blends in. How cool would it be to find some blue thread that matches the exterior accents and bring that color inside? Looks to be a tedious task but do'able with the right tools and some patience. It would probably be something I would wait until after the lease is up to do. I searched for an example of blue but couldn't find any that were good so here is an example of white.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d31/Vicdogg007/Mobile%20Uploads/photo1_zps6865474f.jpg

Imola.ZHP

05-11-2015, 03:04 PM

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/9452_10204123413873221_1855542319564875104_n.jpg?o h=c4621a383ea6f3f19f333c2a856b2a3c&oe=5609E033&__gda__=1439562034_38ba6812173e0eae965f9302995d667 c

Dust/pollen and bird poo rinse, needs a bath but the forecast calls for a chance of rain every day this week.

https://scontent-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtp1/v/t1.0-9/10885593_10204128173752215_2993813479920831948_n.j pg?oh=271c43b20114db923bd64c59702518ed&oe=55C79E9F

Love the lighting schemes on the car, someone at BMW had a lot of fun creating them. Yes, that interior light is blue, its not an IG effect.

Imola.ZHP

05-18-2015, 05:29 PM

Thursday - Hard-wired my radar detector
Friday - Ordered LED turn signal bulbs and key-fob cover
Saturday - Clear behind the handle scratch guards arrived
Today - Got my tag

https://scontent-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xat1/v/t1.0-9/11295640_10204160621323384_8726089736455030589_n.j pg?oh=a51b4070ea2f1336d8a61e6539d79a51&oe=55CC53E5

Thursday - Windows will be tinted at 10am

Imola.ZHP

05-21-2015, 05:14 PM

https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10922525_10204180155411724_1934314731050699073_n.j pg?oh=da5c53be9c315b9cc9f59a0bef285b2a&oe=55CF4DFC

35% ceramic tint all around, 80% on the windshield, needs a bath.

Pip

05-21-2015, 06:05 PM

Looks a million times better. Bet with s drop it'd be a hot little thing.

Imola.ZHP

05-21-2015, 07:04 PM

Looks a million times better. Bet with s drop it'd be a hot little thing.

Agree completely. My better half was telling me to wait on the tint, I've had some other unexpected expenses come up. But I had to do it and just charge it (the cost of the tint for clarification), it drastically improved its looks.

H&R recently released a 1.2" drop for the i3 but its not for models with REx. Not sure whats up with that, REx to non-REx (aka BEV) are something like 60/40 in the US. Why would they make a set of springs for the 40%? lmao Hopefully the REx kit is coming out soon.

Imola.ZHP

05-22-2015, 06:43 PM

https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/10409236_10204184936291243_9042471486004950817_n.j pg?oh=fb1a5c03f456bf6428588275a61c2b1d&oe=55C07C52

Now that the tint job is done I don't feel "odd" going forward with smoking some of the lenses on the car. First up, the mirror-mounted side-markers. Disassembled the mirrors, shrunk the film to fit with a heat gun and re-assembled them. Excuse the filth, the car is still heavily water-spotted from the tint shop. I almost washed the car before taking it to them, I'm glad I didn't.

Next up will be the front wheel arch mounted reflectors. I am waiting on my LED front turn signal bulbs to come in (I believe the front turn signal bulbs and the high-beams are the only non-led bulbs on/in the car, why BMW?) so that I can kill two birds with one stone, have to access the same area to change the bulbs and remove/tint/re-install the front wheel arch reflectors.

I don't think I can get to the rear wheel-arch reflectors without removing the back wheels so I might just wait on them until its time for the first tire rotation.

Imola.ZHP

05-24-2015, 04:17 PM

https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xat1/v/t1.0-9/11295885_10204192380877353_7862741630090731614_n.j pg?oh=3d259a94100d1724f497b09b3c491f37&oe=55FCB2DB

Dirty.

Imola.ZHP

05-25-2015, 03:34 PM

https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/11216258_10204195228428540_3599737587288644691_n.j pg?oh=94f2670361aa27d0c4776862be68ed54&oe=55FFDA65

One of these is not like the others, but thanks for sharing the rain cover.

Imola.ZHP

07-01-2015, 06:21 AM

https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/11377368_10204369725750864_731557933457752109_n.jp g?oh=04ca8540bfd6e48e60c2af6c9ad7a105&oe=5616B9C3

Rainy day boredom, about a week ago.

https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtp1/v/t1.0-9/10484725_10204371589357453_2156860712965478216_n.j pg?oh=73a9702dbbdb61b33b4d3f08b31f4fe0&oe=5623985E

https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtf1/v/t1.0-9/11659492_10204415286209847_444028101737161269_n.jp g?oh=618b19c90dc8f1f4b590a8232030c0cd&oe=5612553A

First interior detail.

https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/11193412_10204415688099894_7603585702183849428_n.j pg?oh=344f3dd320a6607d27146ac37fca42b1&oe=55E8DF62

A tale of two motors.

https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtf1/v/t1.0-9/11666254_10204417139456177_3049359528116998523_n.j pg?oh=a13d3ebd9e92c2a332bc7d4bcdfc4148&oe=56200092

De-badged.

https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/11403329_10204438308745396_7316454203714461016_n.j pg?oh=e2de025ff11d992447792b81accd797f&oe=563129D4

It might only be Wednesday for some, but for me its FRIDAY!

Imola.ZHP

07-01-2015, 06:23 AM

I've got some free time coming up, finally, from school; planning to do some vinyl smoking on the wheel arch reflectors and possibly the rear lower bumper lights. I'm kind of skeered that I'm running low on the film and that another film might not match which would mean my OCD would want to do it all again. I also got in a different set of front LED turn signals (the first set I bought were supposed to be error free but were not), unfortunately these "new" ones look identical to the once that were not error free. Hoping this isn't the case. They'll go in this afternoon probably.

danewilson77

07-01-2015, 06:33 AM

Looks great.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

johnrando

07-01-2015, 03:39 PM

That "4-square" pic just seems to fit w/ the I3, nice.

BRGcoopahS

07-08-2015, 04:41 PM

Nice. I actually quite like the i3, especially its interior. One "design feature" I noticed about the i3 was that from a side shot, the window shape going all the way to the black hood, looks a bit like a lightning bolt. I'm not sure if thats intentional but its something I find cool.

ecrabb

07-09-2015, 07:40 AM

Very nice. Love the tasteful mods. The car is definitely growing on me.

Cheers,
SC

Imola.ZHP

07-13-2015, 07:33 AM

Looks great.

Thanks Dane!

That "4-square" pic just seems to fit w/ the I3, nice.

haha, thanks, I'll have to do it again sometime.

Nice. I actually quite like the i3, especially its interior. One "design feature" I noticed about the i3 was that from a side shot, the window shape going all the way to the black hood, looks a bit like a lightning bolt. I'm not sure if thats intentional but its something I find cool.

I hadn't seen it like that before but I do now. The rear side window "dip" was something I didn't like from concept all the way up to ownership, now I kind of appreciate how it helps the car not look like every other car on the road.

Very nice. Love the tasteful mods. The car is definitely growing on me.

Cheers,
SC

Thank you, be careful, it will keep growing on you if you keep looking at it, thats what happened to me, now I have one.

----

I got the LED front turn signal bulbs in and to my surprise, no errors! Now that I'm done with my summer class hopefully I'll finally get those wheel arch reflectors smoked and maybe some more coding done. Believe it or not, the Frunk (front trunk) is not water tight, although water will not "pour" into it when raining, BMW suggests not putting anything in there that you can't get wet. They also sell a bag that is water tight that fits in it perfectly, but its $100. I scored one on eBay from someone selling one that I guess they got "free" with their car for $26! I had $5.XX in eBay bucks too, so thats a decent score! If it doesn't fit or work to my liking I bet I can find someone to take it off of my hands for at least what I'll have in it.

BMWCurves

07-13-2015, 08:27 AM

That's really surprising. BMW couldn't put a rubber seal around the frunk that would keep water out?

Imola.ZHP

07-13-2015, 02:00 PM

That's really surprising. BMW couldn't put a rubber seal around the frunk that would keep water out?

I know right? There is a strip of rubber on the underside of the hood to try to deflect it from coming in that way and another strip under the cowl to deflect from that way but the manual says it is not water tight. I've basically not been using it for anything but the mobility kit for that reason, sometimes I throw the charger in there if I'm not expecting to be traveling in any rain.

I would lay money we see that change either at Face Lift time (2017) or on the next generation (2020). Hopefully the weatherproof bag that zips up will do the trick. The car has no spare or jack, just a "mobility" kit basically slime and compressed air. I have a spare lug wrench I've put in there for now too, plan to get a jack and a plug kit so that hopefully if a flat occurs I can plug it and limp home instead of having to call a tow truck. Long term I would like to get spare wheel and tire, just leave it at home, I could have a friend or someone go grab it and bring it to me in an instance where a plug won't get me home. I need to look at AAA too, yes, the i3 comes with "free" roadside assistance but they only tow you to the dealer and we all know dealers don't do patches. They just want to sell you a new tire. Granted these little tires are cheaper than my Pilot Super Sports were, it is ridiculous to throw away a perfectly good tire that just needs a patch IMO.

Imola.ZHP

07-13-2015, 02:08 PM

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2Tu_Ww3Zl-U/VMquJ7ebP4I/AAAAAAAACCg/tL7Al16p9bA/s1600/champagne.png

Looks like they are using the bag or the organizer in this pic, I'm not sure why they would do that, the frunk is plastic and has drain holes in the bottom. At some point during ownership I hope to have a reason to use it as a cooler, lol. Maybe they did it for extra insulation.

TheFinanceGuy

07-16-2015, 11:16 AM

Rovert

07-16-2015, 12:32 PM

I bet you could find some weather stripping at Home Depot and be creative to mod your already $$$$ BMW with a $10 part. LOL

That's what E46 coupe owners do to replace the old and cracking back vent window stripping.

Imola.ZHP

07-21-2015, 02:21 PM

I am so behind on reading here on the Mafia....

I am very envoys of you! I want an i3! Now, after reading this, and your journey, I only want it more! I figure I am 2 years away from owning one though, (daycare payments will be cut in half by then with one heading into school).

Congratulations on the purchase!

Envy is not my goal, but thank you for the kind words. Enjoy your ZHP for as long as you can, I drove mine for nearly 9 years, I love the i3 but haven't had it long enough yet to claim it to be the "best" car I've ever had, the ZHP still holds that trophy for now. If your thinking about an i3 around 2017 then the facelift i3's will be out so you've go that going for you; who knows, they might upgrade the battery at the same time, I doubt it, but we'll see!

I bet you could find some weather stripping at Home Depot and be creative to mod your already $$$$ BMW with a $10 part. LOL

That's what E46 coupe owners do to replace the old and cracking back vent window stripping.

I might look into that, lol, so far I love the bag I bought, it should have came with the car as a consolation prize for not being 100% water tight.

Imola.ZHP

07-21-2015, 02:40 PM

Here are some updated pics!

Frunk bag.

https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xft1/v/t1.0-9/11745904_10204531414832990_7226758439116470351_n.j pg?oh=cceb86f4a9e84eeee25433ca2247db25&oe=5610C9F8

For some reason I thought the bag zipped up and was 100% water tight, I was a bit disappointed at first to find out its not either. There are drain holes in the bottom of it too and the top rolls and velcro's shut. Still, after a few days with it I actually really like it, if the frunk was 80% water tight before this adds at least another 15% of protection. I picked up a slime tire plug tackle at walmart mostly for the little case that it came with. The car doesn't have a spare, it does have some slime from BMW and some compressed air but thats it. I hope I never need to plug a tire but I grabbed it hoping it might save me a roll-back trip at some point. If I ever find a spare wheel at a decent price on eBay I might spring for it, have a tire mounted and keep a spare at the house in the garage. That way the better half or another friend or family member could fetch it should a complete tire failure occur locally.

https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtf1/v/t1.0-9/11745549_10204560538561065_3122934196383779772_n.j pg?oh=282d502914ea61526a3289402ab17ad8&oe=561A5237

https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtf1/v/t1.0-9/11745431_10204564059729092_7523705531467772612_n.j pg?oh=3042ce7674640d3b614b87c9992700c2&oe=5659AEC9

I finally got around to tinting the wheel-arch reflectors last night, above is as close to a before/after that I have. If you look closely in the before you can see the red rear wheel arch reflector barely peaking. Wow, I should have done this sooner! Love it! At first I attempted to overlay one of them, but even with the very tight gap between the reflector and the body panel you could still see a sliver of the reflector at certain angles so I ended up heating them all up with a heat gun to loosen the adhesive, removing them, then cutting the smoked vinyl a little bit big and heat shrinking/wrapping them around the corners. Then I heated the adhesive back up and reinstalled. Now I want to do the lights in the lower rear bumper too, they might have to wait another month though until I get back on this evening shift at work. As shown in an earlier post the before/after also shows the vinyl over the mirror/side marker lens too.

I also took the car to autocross this past Saturday. I had so many people asking about it, many said they didn't even know it existed, asking if it had just been released. Nope, its been out for a few months past a year now. It was an event put on by the local Porsche club, hopefully some of those guys will check them out for daily commuting to save some fuel. At first I was a bit timid, it had been years since I autocross'd, a younger guy in an e36 asked for a ride, I obliged, then I rhode with him, he was really over driving his car and being very aggressive which gave me a bit more confidence to drive mine a little bit harder. In 6 runs I dropped about 10 seconds and then runs 7 and 8 were about the same. At that point I had burned through 1/2 of the battery and had had my share of fun for $20. Then yesterday at the grocery store a guy in a c-class rolls up to me and asks "what model is your car?" followed by "how does it do on fuel?" I typically don't like so much attention but I'm getting used to it and actually starting to feel like I should help push the technology forward by spreading the word and am now trying to get involved in convincing local businesses to install chargers. I don't have the need to charge publicly, but I think if public chargers start popping up then for some people that are on the fence it might push them toward an electric car.

johnrando

07-22-2015, 06:22 AM

looks good

TigerTater

07-23-2015, 03:44 PM

Lowered and bawsed out! 20881

Imola.ZHP

07-28-2015, 08:47 AM

Lowered and bawsed out!

Very nice, I didn't initially like those wheels but as there are not really any other options they are starting to grow on me, lol. I keep bugging VMR on various social networking platforms to start making some v710's (or just about any VMR design) for the i3. They just keep saying no.

I do plan to, at some point, wrap the silver rings on my grill like this car, leaving just the blue accents.

EDIT: I love the lip too, maybe post-lease-end.

az3579

07-28-2015, 10:32 AM

Lowered and bawsed out! 20881

Nope. Nuh uh. No way. Those wheels gotta go...
It does look good lowered though.

Imola.ZHP

07-31-2015, 11:34 AM

Nope. Nuh uh. No way. Those wheels gotta go...
It does look good lowered though.

Most likely it is, there are a few kits out there. Yeah, I would probably stick with my stock 20's over those wheels. I really wish I could get VMR to make some some v710's!

Imola.ZHP

10-02-2015, 03:41 AM

Morning guys! I'm still driving electric, been a crazy few months. Not a lot to update... I finally got the rear lower bumper lights pulled, smoke vinyl wrapped (like the wheel arch reflectors) and re-installed. The tint shop scratched both rear door windows, luckily they paid to replace them. While at the dealer they went ahead and updated the cars software to hopefully rid the car of some random CEL's, so far it has worked! Previously I was running the REx manually 2-3 times per week to keep the CEL's away. So now my plan is to use 1/4 of a tank per month (the tank is coded to 2.4 gal, 8L, so 0.6gal per month, lol) just to try to keep the fuel somewhat fresh, I filled up last on 8/14/15, still have about 2/3's of a tank. Here are a few pics...

https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtp1/v/t1.0-9/12002971_10204906348606100_8324507110677561088_n.j pg?oh=7ab07d61467b5130d0cec66ec22dbd42&oe=56A102AB

Bored at work.

https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xft1/v/t1.0-9/12039282_10204956419817849_4104341083993656421_n.j pg?oh=d6da8ee721f8e08b1fb0e4ffcc7fbcea&oe=5684A759

Next to the CRV in the garage, sometimes the i3 strikes me as a mini ute more than a car, might have something to do with the fender gap though.

https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xla1/v/t1.0-9/12009666_10204906370926658_6620032524999480681_n.j pg?oh=4cdd0f05a236cd400b5fbbaa4e537688&oe=56A2316F

https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpl1/v/t1.0-9/11998920_10204906423487972_8577317661752435779_n.j pg?oh=87785f827caa9858bdcf46c3684bab74&oe=56A893FA

The hatch is glass, not just the part you see through but the piece below it where the taillights and turn signals are. A few people that have been involved in accidents have said the taillights are glued to the glass, I was hoping to get in there and smoke the turn signals, but that might not happen. Thinking of doing the 3rd brake light but I think I'm out of film. My luck I'd buy some more and it wouldn't' match the others, lol.

Imola.ZHP

01-01-2016, 04:35 PM

Wow, what a crazy stint, it seems like all we did was run run run from Halloween to New Years. So glad to have it all over with and hoping things slow down a little, at least for a few months. Still driving electric, closing in on 6k, lets see what needs to be updated... Can't think of too much, did some coding to make the car alert me to possible frontal collision earlier, prior I had never even heard it alert me. I had planned to wait to drop the car until after the lease-end, but an i3 FB Group Member had a spare set, MSRP is $399+ tax (if applicable) + shipping, I got the set for $240 shipped. I couldn't pass it up! I might have spent $20 on some special tools and I think the alignment (getting done next week) will run $80-$100. I installed the springs myself.

Right after lowering with H&R Springs, down 1.25"
https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xlp1/v/t1.0-9/12373383_10205339545395749_8995697337899559791_n.j pg?oh=5096a136d4ba7c34369cd06c0fa69ca1&oe=56FCEF52

Crappy work parking lot photo of the car from the back after the drop.
https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtf1/v/t1.0-9/12369148_10205325998777092_4692420599131254972_n.j pg?oh=323751c87fecc33e88af105bbdcf5cd0&oe=57015209

Outside of AutoZone, returning spring compressor, parked in a pool of oil, lol.
https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtf1/v/t1.0-9/1559609_10205326001337156_6240252435446993148_n.jp g?oh=5c557957a5a5e8623fe7c5016ab51f53&oe=571B60A7

Random pic of the 3-D nav, several sites in Memphis are like this, St. Jude, the Pyramid (just behind me in this photo), FedEx Forum, Redbirds Stadium, etc. Quite an upgrade from my ZHP's nav.
https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xlp1/v/t1.0-9/12391071_10205326589871869_51917605783702623_n.jpg ?oh=a0cf17d1526381ea62939b368fdf1d37&oe=5719382C

2/2012 vs 12/2015 same driveway, tried to line up the cars at the BMW roundel but missed the road behind not lining up, still turned out good.
https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/1931207_10205349726330266_8594402494170895761_n.jp g?oh=92b34605fb91df2a962131d1a5742b67&oe=570FA0D2

Got a cover for the car for christmas. We have a garage at home but our "weekend" house is just a carport, some mockingbird has been vandalizing cars here, so a cover was necessary. Looks like a jack-o-lantern, ha, its different but I really like it!
https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/12391857_10205353402582170_1652254237516750714_n.j pg?oh=c22eb4e506312fc0490fbb72c57b5d64&oe=5708FE54

Still on the wish-list...
Weather Tech mats
15mm front spacers, 20mm rear spacers to bring out the wheels a little.

Imola.ZHP

01-01-2016, 05:04 PM

Realized a lot of photo's are not working anymore, odd. I'll get them fixed when I have some time. I'm at work now and now I have to go do a few things. Hopefully I'll have some time tomorrow.

BMWCurves

01-01-2016, 05:22 PM

These are great photos, the car looks mean!

JupiterBMW

01-01-2016, 07:10 PM

Wow Marcus, just wow! I just read the entire thread as I too am trying to catch up with the Mafia. The car is awesome, not something I'd buy (I need sound) but I do love the car, the idea, and I do smile every time I see one on the roads down here in Florida...

I love the fact that you're modding it too. Good luck with it and definitely fix the pics! :)

TigerTater

01-02-2016, 02:43 PM

Looking good with the drop!

Imola.ZHP

01-02-2016, 09:07 PM

These are great photos, the car looks mean!

Thanks! I partly chose the color, Laurel Grey (now discontinued for Mineral Gray 2016+) because it minimizes the obnoxiousness of the two-tone color scheme. Also partly because my better half said this color or no i3, lol.

Wow Marcus, just wow! I just read the entire thread as I too am trying to catch up with the Mafia. The car is awesome, not something I'd buy (I need sound) but I do love the car, the idea, and I do smile every time I see one on the roads down here in Florida...

I love the fact that you're modding it too. Good luck with it and definitely fix the pics! :)

Thanks, your opinion means a lot! A Mustang with some loud exhaust was behind me a week or so ago and I do have to admit I do miss the noise a little bit. I'm just now getting a chance to get on here tonight (at work again) and I leave at midnight (CST) so I'll try again tomorrow. Not sure why they stopped working (annoying).

Looking good with the drop!

Thanks! I have been so busy with the holidays since installing it that I haven't gotten a chance to re-measure to see if she's settled down any more or not. Its only been a few weeks and I've put nearly 500 miles on it! I need to get it in to get aligned (hopefully Monday/Tuesday) and then I need to clean her up for some new pic's. We're about to experience some flooding here in Memphis and I work (and live) on the river, one of our neighbors (sewage plant) is hauling dirt trying to keep a project of theirs from flooding. The road into and out of work is covered in dirt, its nearly a dirt road now, so washing the car would just be a waste of time. Ugh. Hopefully it will be over with soon. I don't know what they are going to do about all the dirt on the road, hopefully not just wait (forever) for the rain to wash it away.

TigerTater

01-03-2016, 08:00 AM

Yea they're about to open the spillways here in Louisiana..so hopefully that helps y'all out. We're above flood stage almost everywhere now

Imola.ZHP

03-23-2016, 03:14 PM

https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xla1/v/t1.0-9/1013334_10205451787721737_1228715603534152192_n.jp g?oh=cc58ad9225352b7161551cd24066a287&oe=57844180

#NAILEDIT!
January, 2016

https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xft1/v/t1.0-9/12507366_10205458100679557_6529363415057039576_n.j pg?oh=34b87b0abd11c8dc486ce9216c3635a5&oe=574DE1A6

Mud ride'n, January 2016

https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/12650908_10205579839922962_4215637878860175158_n.j pg?oh=0f703369c753aacda498c0801ec5aa1b&oe=579701CD

TPI spacers installed along with extended lug bolts, 15mm front, 20mm rear.
February, 2016

https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/12670072_10205618923140018_5231854188284983766_n.j pg?oh=8facc8b64c61b5bfac663110c65f75b7&oe=577BFF77

Before/after spacers, February 2016

https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xlt1/v/t1.0-9/12805925_10205737193496703_5106863943102970360_n.j pg?oh=5fe919bb91275317c5ec26f3f7432728&oe=578778D8

After a bath on leap day, 2016

Recently took a 1500 mile round trip back to my home state of Oklahoma, what an adventure! Didn't charge at all, just ran the REx the whole way there and back (well, I did charge once I got there and while I was there, but not while traveling), filling up every hour sounds awful but its really not. You can be as quick or as slow about it as you want and I don't think it added more than an hour to my travel time. On the way home I made a little better time because I didn't care if I got home with 0% battery. The trip caught me up on my lease miles, I was way behind, now I'm back on track for my 10k/year, year one end coming up in another month.

Jconlin16

03-23-2016, 03:59 PM

Imola.ZHP

03-23-2016, 08:10 PM

Your i3 looks awesome Marcus!

Thanks!

I love the car and the driving experience, but I find the community to be very tiresome. For a "green" car there sure a lot of ego's and know-it-all's, I miss my ZHP crew. As for mods this is probably it for now, the car is leased for 24 months and I'm nearly 1/2 way through it. BMW has already announced a longer range i3 coming for MY2017, my lease is up in April of 2017. It will be interesting times, if they do not offer incentives (money off) to keep the car then I will most likely switch to a 2017 without REx (aka BEV). If they offer an incentive to keep my 2015 it will depend on how much they are willing to offer off. I'm hoping about $10k. Other rumors for 2017 also include an i3s (sport) model and the possibility of the sunroof coming over. It might be hard to turn down a MY2017 longer range i3s BEV with sunroof if the monthly payment is the same as keeping the 2015 REx.

BMWCurves

03-23-2016, 09:42 PM

Thanks!

I love the car and the driving experience, but I find the community to be very tiresome. For a "green" car there sure a lot of ego's and know-it-all's, I miss my ZHP crew. As for mods this is probably it for now, the car is leased for 24 months and I'm nearly 1/2 way through it. BMW has already announced a longer range i3 coming for MY2017, my lease is up in April of 2017. It will be interesting times, if they do not offer incentives (money off) to keep the car then I will most likely switch to a 2017 without REx (aka BEV). If they offer an incentive to keep my 2015 it will depend on how much they are willing to offer off. I'm hoping about $10k. Other rumors for 2017 also include an i3s (sport) model and the possibility of the sunroof coming over. It might be hard to turn down a MY2017 longer range i3s BEV with sunroof if the monthly payment is the same as keeping the 2015 REx.

1. You have the best looking i3 I've seen
2. Your comment reminds me of the South Park smug episode:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXZeq9eXAys

Oli77

03-26-2017, 05:14 PM

Curious about car and your impressions. Pics still not working.

nextelbuddy

03-27-2017, 06:42 AM

would love to see the pictures but none of them are working. did you use a hosting site and then cancel your account or let membership lapse?

BMWCurves

03-27-2017, 06:58 AM

OP hasn't logged on since late November.